Party Girl knows just what to do to both raise money for non-profit agency Acadiana Outreach and whet my appetite for edibles and extravagant fine art. On Nov. 14, this year's Palates & Paté was a sell-out again! Acadiana Outreach has established a wonderful tradition with this annual fund raiser where artists and chefs flex their creative muscles to create a palatable combination. Among the gracious and talented people who donated their services for this special event were artists Dennis Paul Williams, Elemore Morgan Jr., Valery Kosorukov, Lisa Ayres, Mallory Chastant and Amy Jackson Dixon. On the cooking front, chefs Jesus Lorenzo of Paragon Casino Resort, Erin Lege of Clementine's, Ghassan Harb of Mazen Grill and Vivavong Prasith of Bojangles were just a few of the talented culinary creators. Supporters and revelers feasted on all kinds of comestibles while Party Girl enjoyed rubbing elbows with the most recognized creative counterparts in the arts community. After all, cocktails, music, art, and one-of-a-kind dishes can help make a party great, and Palates & Pate's ingredients of wine, martinis, Marcia Ball and Fred Daspit were stellar. "People eat with their eyes before they eat with their mouths," says Jeff Hernandez of Bonefish Grill.
Party Girl's motto is similar to Jeff's ' what I see and like, I want! From fine art, custom designed jewelry and dream vacations this event had it all, and I wanted it all. So did the 1,200 supporters that made this event spectacular. Luckily for the Acadiana Outreach Center and unfortunately for Party Girl, the majority of the patrons reached into their pockets and bought the very pieces I had my eyes on. Oh well, there's always next year's Palates & Paté, and planning has already begun for 2008! Hopefully they can top this year's gross ' an unbelievable $640,000. That's one-third of the costs needed to help more than 4,000 men, women and children throughout the next year. Now that's a good reason to throw a party!